I’m not sure if any of the $22MM received from the Phillies will go toward Thome’s 2009 salary. I’m also unsure if Chicago’s portion of Junior’s buyout goes toward ’09 payroll. To play it safe I will include all of that. That brings us to $108MM plus arbitration raises, notably to Jenks. So figure a little north of $110MM committed. The Sox began the year with a $121MM payroll, though GM Ken Williams will not necessarily use every last dollar. It seems that the Sox can afford one decent free agent if that’s Williams’ preference.

The Sox have talked about wanting to add speed at the top and bottom of the lineup. A guy with a strong OBP would surely be preferable. Willy Taveras, Juan Pierre, Ichiro Suzuki, Brian Roberts, Orlando Hudson, Chone Figgins, Randy Winn, Cesar Izturis, Bobby Abreu, and Coco Crisp may be available to varying degrees. Roberts would be perfect, but the Orioles may still want young pitching or a shortstop. Winn or Crisp could be easier to acquire. The Angels may prefer to keep Figgins.

There’s talk of moving one of the pricier vets, maneuvering past no-trade clauses. Dye would be appealing to many clubs; Abreu could be signed as a replacement. Another option: shop Jenks. Three years of Jenks is quite valuable, and he’d make an appealing alternative to signing Francisco Rodriguez or Brian Fuentes.

At this point we have learned to just sit back and watch Williams work…he has proven he’s unpredictable and very good at his job.